Pope Francis to Fly into China Airspace, Send Greeting to Chinese Authorities

Pope Francis to Fly into China Airspace, Send Greeting to Chinese Authorities
Aug 15, 2014 By eChinacities.com

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Superman? Nope, its the pope. Pope Francis is due to cross China airspace on his way to Seoul after authorities gave him the go ahead this week.

According to Vatican protocol, the pope will send greetings from his plane to the leaders of all the countries he flies over, so Xi Jinping should be getting a very special message soon.

The flight signals a warming up of previously frosty relations between the Vatican and the Middle Kingdom; when Pope John Paul II requested permission to cross Chinese airspace in 1989, the answer was a resounding no, and he instead flew over Russia, sending a message to Gorbachev along the way.

Political ties between the Vatican and China disintegrated in 1949 when the communist party came into power; despite this, there are an estimated 12 million catholics in China, many of whom are forced to worship secretly in underground churches.

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Keywords: Pope flies over China

2 Comments

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Guest2650392

One Pope Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

Aug 15, 2014 19:07 Report Abuse

MardanAhmed

And yet it is better than anyother gods in comparison.

Aug 15, 2014 12:07 Report Abuse